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Thursday, 25 June 2009

New Members

Full members

Barbara Axt holds an MSc in Science Communication from Imperial College London and has published work in New Scientist, SciDev.net and Research Fortnight. She is currently working as a reporter for animal health magazine Animal Pharm.

Anna Lacey is a freelance science journalist who reports and produces for BBC Radio 4, BBC World Service and the Cancer Research UK Podcast. After completing a degree in zoology at Cambridge University, she produced the Naked Scientists radio show and the Nature Podcast. Anna then left to pursue dreams of travel and a freelance career – leading her to report on science, health and environment stories from Tanzania, the Caribbean, Rwanda and Europe. Anna won the ABSWNew Voice award in 2007 and wants to continue finding out about the role of science across the globe.

Andrew Extance officially joined the ranks of professional science journalists in 2007 after eight years working in labs making drug candidates and adhesives. Since editing the university music newspaper as an undergraduate chemist, he has increasingly combined his passions for writing and science. This bore fruit in 2004 with a commendation in the Daily Telegraph Young Science Writer awards, and publication of his first freelance feature in Chemistry World. Andy then became a regular contributor to A-level chemistry magazine Chemistry Review, before eventually becoming a reporter for IOP Publishing. There he began reporting for Compound Semiconductor magazine and website, before becoming news editor at the beginning of 2009. He also freelances for adhesives websites SpecialChem4Adhesives and Omnexus4Adhesives, and is keen to work with more publications.

Naomi Antony has a background in geology and completed her MSc in Science Communication at Imperial College in 2007. Since then she has worked as an editorial assistant for SciDev.net, a not-for-profit website that provides news and views about science and technology for the developing world. She helps to run the news desk, searching for potential news stories and editing articles. She also writes some of the site's UK- and US-based stories.

Katherine Nightingale is a science journalist working as assistant news editor at SciDev.net. She has an MSc in Science Communication from Imperial College. Katherine tends to write about health and development issues, but edits content on a wide range of topics. She has an interest in nurturing science journalism capacity in the developing world – something that is a challenge sitting at a desk in London. She also freelances for publications including The Lancet, and would like to stretch her creative muscles with book and film reviews.

Henry Scowcroft spent four years at university studying biochemistry before realising that the laboratory life wasn’t for him, and going to work for a science journal instead. From there, he went on to do a masters in science communication and, after a brief flirtation with science journalism, started working in the Science Information team at Cancer Research UK in 2003. In January 2005, he helped launch the charity's News and Resources website, which he helps to run. Henry also manages and contributes to the award-winning Cancer Research UK Science Update blog. His current area of fascination is how the adoption of social media and other developments in the online world can be harnessed by scientists and science communicators.

Associate members

Gary Stevens of the Lincoln School of Journalism was at the BBC World Service for 18 years, working on various programmes including Waveguide (technology), BBC English Guide to Science and Sciencedesk. He is now a senior lecturer at the University of Lincoln, focusing on broadcast journalism, and is programme leader for the MA in Science and Environmental Journalism.

Danielle Reeves has worked as a senior press officer at Imperial College for three years, specialising in publicising the work of the College's Natural Sciences faculty. She writes press releases, articles and web stories about the cutting-edge research currently under way at the College.

Natasha Martineau is Head of Research Communications at Imperial College London. She has previously worked as Science Communications Manager at the Environment Agency, as the director of COPUS at the Royal Society, publicity manager for the BBSRC and project manager at the British Association. She has also been a freelance science communicator.

Lucy Goodchild has a BSc in Genetics and Microbiology, and an MSc in the History of Science. She previously worked in External Relations at the Society for General Microbiology, publicising meetings and research in journals, then worked as assistant editor at Microbiology Today. Currently, Lucy works as a press officer for medicine at Imperial College, and writes as a freelance for science magazines and websites in her spare time. She is currently writing a book about bees.

Laura Gallagher has worked in the Communications Division at Imperial College for five years, first as a press officer then a senior press officer. She covers the College's faculties of Engineering and Medicine.

Sarah Bougourd has an MSc in Science, Culture and Communication from the University of Bath, and now works as Communications Officer at the Nuffield Council on Bioethics. She deals with press enquiries and issues press releases. Sarah also writes scientific and medical copy for the Council's website and publications, with the aim of raising awareness and promoting discussion of the organisation's work.

Student member

Duncan Stewart Smith is based in Glasgow, Scotland. He graduated in astronomy and physics and, after a stint at Glasgow Science Centre, has returned to academic life studying for a masters degree in Science Education and Communication. He has also been selected for the Wellcome Trust Mentoring Scheme for Emerging Talent to attend the World Congress of Science and Factual Producers in 2008. He is primarily interested in informal ways of learning, from café scientifiques and newspaper articles to television documentaries and science centres. The scientific topics that get him most excited are in astronomy and physics, such as gravitational waves and supermassive black holes.